Christmas pudding is a traditional dessert served with Christmas dinner here in the UK and originated in medieval times. It is a dessert made with dried fruits soaked in brandy.
Traditionally the puddings is made on stir up Sunday which is the Sunday before advent where families would mix the pudding, make a wish and add a silver sixpence to the mixture. The person who found the coin in their pudding was said to enjoy wealth and luck for the year to come!
I always have my Christmas pudding with brandy sauce but you can also use brandy or rum butter if you prefer.
The day before baking the pudding: In a medium sized bowl weigh the dried mixed fruit, prunes, cherries, stem ginger, grated apple, orange zest, orange juice and brandy .
Stir and cover with cling film and leave overnight to soak.
The following day:take a 1.5 litre pudding basin and butter the sides and base. Cut a small circle of parchment the size of the bottom of the basin, then place in the bottom.
In a large bowl put the flour, sugar, all-spice, mixed spice, vegetable suet, black treacle, melted butter and eggs.
Add the soaked fruit and mix until everything is fully combined.
Put the mixture in the pre-prepared bowl and level with a small spatula.
Then place a double layer of baking parchment over the top of the bowl pleating it to allow for expansion, then cover with a layer of aluminium foil. Tie tightly with string, then make a handle with the string for easy removal from the pan later. Trim off any excess paper and foil.
Place the lid of a jam jar in the bottom of a large pan and place the pudding on the top. Fill half the way up the basin with hot water from the kettle then simmer for 8 hours. Keep an eye on the water level and top up as necessary.
Remove from the pan and leave to cool. If you are keeping for Christmas Day then remove the parchment and foil and re-wrap with new parchment, foil and string. Keep in a cool dry place until ready to re-heat.
On Christmas Day simmer for one hour and serve with brandy sauce.
Christmas Pudding
Sarah's servings: 8
Sarah's skill: Easy
Baking time: 8-9 hours
INGREDIENTS
300g dried mixed fruit
100g dried prunes, chopped
50g glacé cherries, quartered
2 balls stem ginger, finely chopped
1 cooking apple, grated
1 orange, zested & juiced
75ml brandy
75g self raising flour
100g light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp mixed spice
160g vegetable suet
50g black treacle
70g unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
METHOD
The day before baking the pudding: In a medium sized bowl weigh the dried mixed fruit, prunes, cherries, stem ginger, grated apple, orange zest, orange juice and brandy . Stir and cover with cling film and leave overnight to soak.
The following day: take a 1.5 litre pudding basin and butter the sides and base. Cut a small circle of parchment the size of the bottom of the basin, then place in the bottom.
In a large bowl put the flour, sugar, all-spice, mixed spice, vegetable suet, black treacle, melted butter and eggs.
Add the soaked fruit and mix until everything is fully combined.
Put the mixture in the pre-prepared bowl and level with a small spatula.
Place a double layer of baking parchment over the top of the bowl pleating it to allow for expansion, then cover with a layer of aluminium foil. Tie tightly with string, then make a handle with the string for easy removal from the pan later. Trim off any excess paper and foil.
Place the lid of a jam jar in the bottom of a large pan and place the pudding on the top. Fill half the way up the basin with hot water from the kettle then simmer for 8 hours. Keep an eye on the water level and top up as necessary.
Remove from the pan and leave to cool. If you are keeping for Christmas Day then remove the parchment and foil and re-wrap with new parchment, foil and string. Keep in a cool dry place until ready to re-heat.
On Christmas Day simmer for one hour and serve with brandy sauce.
EQUIPMENT USED
SARAH’S EXTRA SLICE
You could add some nuts into the mixture if you want a different texture.
You could use rum or amaretto in this recipe if you prefer.
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